Hi Tonya and others,
John's assessment of the status of Rainbow Lorikeets corresponds to my
understanding, although I'm not a northside resident. This issue has
been considered several times in the past and Adam Leavesley's short
article a decade ago (see reference below) summed up the evidence for
local breeding at the time as well as providing a brief synopsis of the
history of Rainbow Lorikeets in the ACT up to that time.
I would add that there are also regular if infrequent reports of Rainbow
Lorikeets around Farrer Ridge and Wanniassa, and sometimes Kambah. It's
not clear to me whether these are separate surviving outliers to the
Hawker-based 'population', whether they are itinerants from that
population, or represent occasional aviary escapees. I suspect it is a
combination of all three.
Harvey
Leavesley, Adam (2003). Rainbow Lorikeets breeding in the ACT assisted
by regular dietary supplementation.
Canberra Bird Notes 28(2): 53-55.
Harvey Perkins
CRC Selection Rounds Section
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Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
-----Original Message-----
From: John Brannan
Sent: Tuesday, 21 December 2010 11:22 AM
To: Tonya Haff
Cc:
Subject: Rainbow Lorikeets?
On 21/12/10 10:27 AM, Tonya Haff wrote:
> I had a couple rainbow lorikeets in my yard in Aranda this morning,
> and have heard them several times before. I'm just wondering if there
> is a consensus on whether or not rainbows in this area are most likely
> to be escaped cage birds, or are wild birds making their way farther
west?
Short of DNA testing there's no way to be sure, but the most likely
origin of your lorikeets is the gradually expanding population in
Hawker, which appears to have also spawned outbreaks around the ANU and
down in Weston (if I recall correctly). I've heard that the Hawker
population originated from escapees that bred successfully, so in a way,
the answer your question is arguably both.
Incidentally, I recorded two Rainbow Lorikeets on a survey I did in
Aranda back in July.
John Brannan
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